Meanwhile, the 29-year-old revealed that bosses had informally asked whether she would make a comeback during her time on Waterloo Road last year.

"They did ask me back once, but I'd just signed to do Waterloo Road so there was no way I could," she added.

Speaking about her original departure five years ago, the 29-year-old said: "I had the best eight years ever on Corrie, I loved it. But I had been there since I left high school at 16 and felt I had to go.

"It was all I'd known and I had to get out and experience the big wide world. But now that I'm older, yes, I would love the opportunity to go back one day."

Tina O'Brien has a daughter Scarlett with former co-star and on-screen lover Ryan Thomas (Jason Grimshaw), but split with him off-screen in 2009.